Checkerboard Halloween Cookies
a sweet treat recipe
Heather is a baker with a passion for creating elevated, yet easy-to-follow dessert recipes. Her background in photography and videography, paired with an insatiable sweet tooth, led to early success on social media with engaging videos of her decadent creations. As a recipe developer, she pairs traditional bakes with novel flavor combinations, and brings them to life through artful visuals. Follow along to find something sweet at
@youthsweets on Instagram and
TikTok and
youthsweets.com.
Black cacao and purple sweet potato powder intertwine with vanilla in these not-too-sweet checkerboard pattern sugar cookies.
TIME (ACTIVE) | 55 M
TIME (INACTIVE) | 2 H
TOTAL | 2 H 55 M
12 SERVINGS
| 4 dozen cookies total
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:
STAND MIXER OR HAND BEATERS
MIXING BOWLS
WHISK
RUBBER SPATULA
ROLLING PIN
PASTRY BRUSH
½-INCH LEVELERS (OPTIONAL)
Do ahead
- The dough can be made the day before. Keep it in the refrigerator or freezer until needed.
Make the dough
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder and kosher salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for 3 minutes or with hand beaters for 4 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and sift in the powdered sugar. Beat for 2 minutes to cream together.
- Add the eggs and vanilla, beating to combine. Add the dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated.
Divide the dough
- Divide the dough into four equal portions (should weigh about 386g each).
- Form two of the portions into a rectangle and wrap (separately) in plastic. Take the other two portions and place them in separate bowls.
Flavor and color the dough
- Add the black cacao powder to one of the portions. Mix with gloved hands or beaters until combined.
- Add the purple sweet potato powder to one of the portions. Mix with gloved hands or beaters until combined.
- Form the doughs into separate rectangles and wrap in plastic. Place all wrapped dough into the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or overnight.
Roll out the dough
- Roll out each dough portion into 5x8-inch rectangles that are ½-inch thick. I like to use two ½-inch tall levelers as guides.
- Slice each dough portion into ½-inch wide strips.
Assemble the checkerboard pattern
- Using the reserved egg whites, use a pastry brush to swipe a bit of the egg white on the sides of a vanilla dough strip. Sandwich this vanilla strip in between two black cacao strips.
- Brush the top of this trio with more egg white “glue”.
- Sandwich a black cacao strip in between two vanilla strips. Place this trio on top of the first one. Brush the top of the trio with the glue.
- Repeat the first trio and place it on top of the second one.
- Repeat with the rest of the doughs to prepare two black cacao and vanilla checkerboard logs and two purple sweet potato and vanilla checkerboard logs. You should be able to get four logs total.
- Wrap each log tightly in plastic, gently pressing the strips together to minimize any air pockets, without ruining the shape.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or freeze for 30 minutes.
Prepare to bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cut each log into ½-inch thick slices. Place cookies 2-inches apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze for 10-20 minutes before baking if the dough becomes too warm.
- Bake for 13-14 minutes or until the edges are just lightly golden brown.
Store baked cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Unbaked logs or cookies can be wrapped tightly in plastic and stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Do not skip chilling the dough. It will be easier to work with when cold and it is important for the dough’s hydration.
- Use a kitchen scale to measure out ingredients for the most accuracy.
low fat (10-12%)
powder
Black Cacao Powder, with its deep black color and smooth flavor, is perfect for visually striking, richly flavored baked goods and desserts.
0.28 oz - PORTION$0.50
2 oz - REFILL$3
8 oz - REFILL$9
powder
Derived from purple sweet potatoes this powder finds its niche as a natural food coloring; it can impart a delightful shade of purple to cakes, pastries, frostings, and candies without the need for artificial dyes.
0.25 oz - PORTION$0.50
2 oz - JAR$4
2 oz - REFILL$3
8 oz - REFILL$9
